


One Hour Until Arrival

by Udicore



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Everyone Needs A Hug, M/M, questionable decisions, this shit sad af
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 04:41:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21830143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Udicore/pseuds/Udicore
Summary: It had been months since Kageyama had seen Hinata, and he thought a little road trip might get their friendship back to its former glory.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	1. Road Trip

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, welcome to my first published fic. I’m unsure on whether I’ll continue this or not, but if you have any tips or criticisms, please leave me a comment. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy.

Loud music blared in the small sedan, sending vibrations throughout the car. The bass was so loud and punchy that Kageyama could feel it in his chest as if it were another heart beating. It oscillated his bones and made him feel just slightly dizzy. However, he had gotten fairly used to it throughout the years.

At first, he had found this type of music obnoxious and annoying; it caused his head to pound and made it difficult to concentrate. Nevertheless, through constant exposure he had begun to find a certain level of comfort with it. Whenever he heard it, it reminded him of days gone by.

Hinata had always liked EDM music. He’d always played it whenever he had access to the aux cord, much to Kageyama’s previous dismay. It made sense though, EDM music matched Hinata’s personality. Punchy and poppy, filled with energy and intense beat drops. This was his favourite song too. Too bad he was completely asleep in the passenger seat beside him. 

Hinata’s orange hair bounced a little bit with every bump, and a thin line of drool leaked out of the corner of his mouth. It was all very nostalgic for Kageyama. While he caught up with Hinata every once in a while over coffee, their friendship just wasn’t what it used to be back in High School. 

College life made it difficult to spend time with people who weren’t in your area. That’s why he decided to take this road trip with Hinata. Maybe if they’d spent more time together, he could piece their friendship back together. Not to mention, it would help get Hinata’s mind off of recent events.

Kageyama kept his eyes on the road, the headlights of his black sedan barely emitting enough light to keep the road somewhat visible. He knows he shouldn’t be driving at this time of night, but Hinata had wanted to leave early to beat the traffic. This, however, was quite ridiculous. Kageyama hadn’t seen another car for miles, and it would still be dark by the time they got there. What would they even do when they arrived? They can’t set up their tent in the dark or even set up a fire. Fires aren’t allowed before 5 AM at the campsite.

He glanced at the clock. Probably only a few hours of driving left. Kageyama wondered what he should do. Should he wake Hinata, and possibly be subject to his annoying chatter for an hour, or should he drive in peaceful, relaxing silence? 

Next thing he knew, he was poking Hinata’s shoulder. 

Dealing with Hinata was better than being alone.

“Wake up idiot. We’ll be there soon.” Kageyama’s voice came out a little more stern than he had intended.

Hinata let out a yawn and rubbed at his eyes. He stretched his legs out, letting out a contented sigh, before turning his head towards Kageyama.

Hinata paused for a moment, glancing at the clock.

“How long have I been asleep?” He asked.

“About two hours,” Kageyama answered curtly. “So almost the whole ride.”

“So why did you wake me now? Did poor little Kageyama get lonely without me?” Hinata had a wide grin on his face, his eyebrows raised in a teasing way.

“Shut up. I just didn’t want to have to deal with your snoring anymore. Also, wipe that disgusting drool off your face. As well as that gross smirk.” Kageyama’s lips curved upwards a bit. It was good to have someone to talk to, even if they were annoying.

There was a moment of stillness.

“This is my favourite song,” Hinata said, now staring out the window blankly as heavy beats played through the speakers.

“I know,” Kageyama replied.

Hinata’s favourite song then ended abruptly, fizzling out into radio static. Kageyama grimaced, the radio must have lost connection. It was bound to happen at some point, the mountains aren’t exactly the easiest place for radio waves to travel. He turned off the radio and the only sounds that remained was the rumble of the car along the highway and the two boys’ steady breathing. 

“So how’s college been? I can’t believe you decided to take advanced English when you sucked at it so much in High School.” Kageyama inquired, not being able to stand the silence for a moment longer.

“It’s hell Kageyama. Literal hell. I wake up every morning and curse this world and its English speaking inhabitants.” Hinata pouted, letting a small smile of thanks creep onto his face. Hinata hated the silence even more than Kageyama did. “And how’s math? I’m sure you’re getting As”

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Kageyama spat playfully at Hinata.

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”

Silence again. Damn. Kageyama wondered why it was so awkward. Why were conversations with Hinata were so hard now? He knew Hinata had been through some... hard times recently, but why is it still so difficult to talk to him? 

Hinata is still Hinata, right? If that’s true, why can’t their conversations flow like they used to? Why does there always have to be this awkward pause between each topic? It seemed that whenever he’d see Hinata, he would go over these questions in his head, never finding an answer to them. 

Maybe he’d done something wrong. Maybe he’d hurt Hinata in some way. Kageyama just wished things could just go back to what they were before. He wished he was back in High School, playing a stupid sport with his stupid moron friends. He wished the only thing he had to worry about was if his dumb volleyball team was going to make it to nationals or not. 

Hinata heard Kageyama’s irregular breathing and watched Kageyama out of the corner of his eye.

God, I hate being an adult. 

God, I hate myself. 

God, please let Hinata be my friend again. 

Tears pricked at Kageyama’s eyes, and Hinata averted his eyes, returning to his blank stare out the window.

* * *

One hour until arrival.

* * *

The muffled sounds of the wheels of Kageyama’s car on the pavement below created a somewhat peaceful atmosphere in the interior. The awkwardness of the silence had long worn off by now, and Kageyama was able to finally relax a bit. He didn’t regret waking Hinata up, but he definitely cursed his sudden social incompetence. 

Kageyama shifted in his seat, making the leather creak. The first few hints of daylight were just starting to appear on the horizon in the form of dark blues and purples. Maybe there would be some daylight when they arrived. 

The radio started up again, and Kageyama was able to make out some words emerging from soft static. 

“-other news, the body of a young girl was found near Ikebukuro Station last night. Witnesses say-“

Hinata shut off the radio quickly and stared at it for a few moments. Kageyama continued to look down the road, slightly disappointed that the familiar sound of the static would now be gone. 

Hinata sighed and searched through the small backpack at his feet. He unzipped it and felt around for a pencil. Once one was found, he pulled out a small notebook and began furiously writing, pencil scratches now filling the car. Kageyama eyed Hinata with interest. It probably wasn’t homework since Hinata was on summer break now. Maybe he was writing poetry or something, but that seemed unlikely. Hinata wasn’t that kind of person, at least that’s what Kageyama thought. Due to all the changes in their lives, he really wasn’t sure anymore.

“My therapist told me I should do this,” Hinata answered Kageyama’s unvoiced question. “Write my thoughts out like this.”

“Does it help?” Kageyama questioned with suspicion. His eyes narrowing into his classic frown.

“When I want it to,” Hinata mumbled out. He didn’t appear to enjoy doing therapy that much, evident from his sarcastic tone.

Kageyama’s frown persisted. Therapist? Kageyama never heard of Hinata having a therapist. He supposed it made sense, but it still bothered him that he didn’t know about it until now. As much as he put on a disinterested face, Kageyama did care about his friends, and he did want to know what happened in their lives. 

“Kageyama.”

“Yeah Hinata?” Kageyama tried not to let the concern show in his voice, Hinata hadn’t engaged him since the beginning of the trip. It had always been Kageyama who started their short conversations.

“Can I show you something?”

“You can see that I’m driving right? Idiot Hinata.”

“You’ll only have to look for a second.”

Hinata dug in his bag once again, this time pulling something spherical out. Kageyama glanced over. Blue and yellow. A ball. A blue and yellow ball. There were black markings all over it, but he couldn’t make them out. 

Then it clicked. Signatures. All those black markings are signatures. 

“How the hell did you get that Hinata?” Kageyama’s voice was sprinkled with exasperated laughter.

“Well, I bought a ball and had everyone sign it, obviously. It’s for your birthday, stupid Kageyama. I thought you were smart, getting all As and stuff.” Hinata’s face was plastered with a huge grin that went ear to ear.

“I am smart, and my birthday is two weeks from now.”

“I just couldn’t wait I guess.” Hinata smiled even wider, which seemed impossible without splitting his face in two.

Feeling a large bump on the road snapped Kageyama out of his trance and he turned his head back to the windshield.

“Watch the road dummy.” Hinata scolded.

“You’re the one who is distracting me. If we crash it’s your fault.” Kageyama huffed, leaving no room for argument.

The ball had the signatures of all of Kageyama’s team members from High School, including some bonus ones from other schools. He was in awe. It must have taken months to do this, Hinata would have had to visit everyone separately, at different times. As far as Kageyama knew, everyone was in university or working by now. How Hinata got Oikawa’s signature was a miracle in itself, his constant travelling made him difficult to catch. Professional Volleyball is a very worldly job after all. 

Oikawa’s signature was surrounded by hearts and stars, popping out much more than the others. Kageyama shivered in disgust, what a creep, but couldn’t help but smile a little bit on the inside. He knew how much Oikawa despised him (or pretended to despise him), so he was a good sport for signing it. 

“I can’t believe you got Oikawa,” Kageyama said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Is he still a little shit?”

“Yeah… he took a picture of me on my knees begging for him to sign it.” Hinata chuckled out loud.

“Sounds about right,” Kageyama added, looking over to Hinata.

Hinata was looking out the window and smiling again, but it was different this time. His eyes seemed tired, and the corners of his mouth looked like they were being forced upwards, his face straining to make it look genuine.

Kageyama frowned at this, feeling a little bit hurt that Hinata didn’t seem to really be enjoying himself.

“You know, you don’t have to force yourself to be happy around me.”

Hinata’s pseudo-smile dropped immediately, and he glanced over to Kageyama.

“If you don’t think you can do this trip, just let me know. We can go back whenever.” Kageyama tried to sound comforting, but his voice came out as abrasive as usual, and he winced.

“I’m fine,” Hinata stated. “Now stop worrying about me. I can handle myself.”

“Hinata, I know you can handle yourself, but you’re not fine. Stop pretending to be fine.” Kageyama’s voice grew even harsher, becoming a growl.

“I’m not pretending.”

“Hinata, it’s pretty obvious.”

“Look, I’m sorry I can’t be loud and annoying anymore. I’m sorry I can’t be the energetic and shining Hinata anymore. I’m just trying my best to make this trip normal for you and me. I’m just trying my best to be what I used to be. Let me forget.” Hinata exploded, clenching the ball in his hands tighter. 

“Yeah well if it’s gonna be fake I don’t want it. I don’t want you to force smiles or feign happiness just for me. Do you know how it feels when you can clearly see someone in pain, but they’re hiding it for you? It hurts.” Kageyama was nearly shouting now.

“And what if I show it? What if I act as sad as I feel? You’ll give me that pitying look that I get from everyone else. I can’t take it anymore. Everyone treats me like some sort of lost puppy, something to feel sad for and nothing else.” Hinata spat out, his fists clenching.

“What else do you expect us to do? Just pretend that everything is normal and that you’re okay?” Kageyama threw his hands in the air.

“That’s not fucking healthy. Maybe I shouldn’t have invited you on this trip, because clearly, you want to do what you’ve always done. Hide away in yourself until you implode. Jesus, I haven’t even seen you actually cry since the incident.” Kageyama’s blood boiled, it deafened his own words and prevented him from considering them before they flew out of his mouth in an angry torrent.

Hinata went quiet. That sound of wheels on asphalt wasn’t so comforting anymore.

“Turn the car around.”

Kageyama’s felt his heart stop. Everything felt so numb all of a sudden. Kageyama felt depersonalized… like his body was moving without his consent. He felt like he just lost control of everything. He slowed down and pulled a u-turn in the middle of the highway, making sure to look both ways first. Of course, Hinata would want to go back home after that. Who would want to spend a week camping with someone after they said that? Kageyama had said some of the worst things he could have. He wasn’t even sure if he’d be able to look at Hinata again, so he kept his eyes completely set on the road, trying to ignore the young man beside him. 

How on Earth would he fix this?

Maybe he wouldn’t have to, because as his world came crashing down around him, Kageyama failed to notice the large logging truck in his lane, barreling down the road in their direction. 

When his eyes finally caught the headlights of the truck, it was much too late. He swerved to the right, tires squealing as they dragged along the rough asphalt. 

The sedan slammed through the road barriers and Kageyama’s stomach jumped into his throat. 

They were falling.

And time seemed to stop. 

His eyes slowly drifted over towards Hinata’s. They were swimming in confusion and fear, blown wide and darting all over the place. 

As sorry as he felt for managing to kill the both of them. As sorry as he felt for saying those awful things to Hinata. He selfishly thanked the universe for letting those gorgeous and wild eyes be the last things he saw.

The car then tumbled down the cliff into the darkness below.

Zero hours until arrival.

* * *

Oikawa Tooru is a busy man. From radio shows to magazine interviews, essentially, he has a lot going on, so making time to see friends wasn’t easy. This time though, he’d have to make an exception. 

Oikawa climbed out of the navy blue truck and closed the door gently behind him, stepping onto the cement sidewalk. He turned towards the opened window of the truck and gave his driver his signature grin, throwing up a peace sign while he was at it, because why not?

“Thanks for driving me Iwa-chan~”

“Eat shit Shittykawa.” Iwaizumi deadpanned, but his eyes were filled with concern. “Let me know if he’s okay. Make sure you get something to eat too while you’re here.”

“Are you my mom Iwa-chan?” Oikawa smirked and rested his hand on his hip, raising an eyebrow.

“Seriously. Call me and let me know the situation. I’ll probably be at work, but I can still take a call whenever.” Iwaizumi’s brows were furrowed in concern.

“I know, I know. I’ll keep you updated, even though there’s usually not much to report. Talk to you later.” Oikawa waved and made his way towards the hospital at a fast pace, as Iwaizumi drove away. He hoisted his large duffle bag over his right shoulder and kept his head down, trying not to be noticed by anyone. He just had to talk to the lady at the desk like he usually does. Easy peasy. 

When the sliding doors opened, he was hit with the stench of cleaning chemicals and anesthetics. It made Oikawa shiver in disgust. He’d been here many times before, and yet it seemed to get worse with every visit. 

It had begun when Oikawa was still in High School. He’d always had bad knees, always popping and clicking while he walked, and when he shattered his knee last year during a practice volleyball match, he’d been told he’d never play volleyball again. 

Every check-up at the hospital had scared him because doctors kept on insisting that it was getting worse. He’d come to dread just being in the same block as hospitals. So dropping by to see Kageyama wasn’t easy. 

Oikawa got the room number and headed towards the elevator, his limbs quivered with impatience. Why was he so nervous? He’d done this a million times before, so why did he feel a sense of anticipation in his gut?

The elevator whirred as it took him up to the 4th floor, arriving with a loud ding. He stepped out and let the smell of cleaning agents burn his nostrils again. A truly putrid smell. His knee clicked as he continued his speed walk out of the elevator, dodging the nurses and small carts that cluttered the hallways.

_412... 413... 414... 415… 415B._

Oikawa sighed deeply as he examined the closed door. Here he was again. On the other side of Kageyama’s door. He knocked before entering, just in case there was a nurse or someone running tests.

The room was dark, and it was almost silent, the only noise filling the room was Kageyama’s ventilator. Its consistent ticking was almost comforting, it meant that Kageyama was still breathing. It meant he was still alive.

Oikawa moved towards one of those crappy desk chairs that are often kept in hospital rooms. The ones that people somehow sleep in even though they’re more uncomfortable than a bed made out of nails. He winced when he sat down, and rested his head in his hand. What was there to tell Iwaizumi? He's still in a coma? The doctors said he was supposed to wake up soon, but doubt had already begun to grow in Oikawa’s mind. He could tell the doctors felt this way too, by the way they grimaced slightly every time they saw someone sitting in one of the chairs whenever they walked in.

Oikawa sat down and placed his bag on the floor. He looked at Kageyama’s face from across the room. It was pale and wrinkled, facial muscles weak and slack with disuse. His navy blue hospital robe was spotless and barely wrinkled, and his hands lay at his sides, as still as the air around him.

Oikawa’s pocket vibrated and he pulled out his phone, the screen illuminating the room a tiny bit. Daichi would be here soon, as usual. Most of their friends didn’t have enough time in the day to come and visit, but for the two ex-captains, it was routine. Just another part of their day. Sometimes Mr. Refreshing came along, but he was usually too busy in the evenings to come and say hello.

About 15 minutes passed, and there was a knock at the door. Oikawa didn’t bother saying anything, he knew who it was. A man with tired eyes and face full of stubble walked through the door, gently closing it behind him. Daichi was hard to recognize nowadays, he barely resembled the pillar of support he used to be.

“You shouldn’t be sitting in the dark,” Daichi grumbled out and flicked on the lightswitch. The harsh white light poured into the room and made Kageyama’s face appear even more pale.

“Great, now I have two moms and their constant nagging to deal with.” Oikawa stood up from his chair with a huff and sauntered into the bathroom, leaving Daichi alone with Kageyama.

Daichi walked up to the side of the bed to watch Kageyama breathe. His breaths were mechanical, forced by the ventilator. This wasn’t living. Daichi might have teared up if it were a few months ago, but he’d run out of tears a long time ago. He’d cried enough. He’d cried enough for a lifetime. Letting out his thousandth tired sigh of the day, he paced back to the corner of the room to have a seat on Oikawa’s chair.

When Oikawa walked back into the room, Daichi was slouched in the seat, his head leaning against the back wall. 

“You stole my spot.” Oikawa pointed his finger at the chair.

“Mhm,” Daichi mumbled out noncommittally.

Oikawa just leaned against the door and closed his eyes. What a depressing atmosphere. Kageyama wouldn’t have liked this. He wouldn’t have wanted people to constantly dote on him, to wait for him at the side of his hospital bed. Kageyama didn’t have a choice though. He was comatose, so it’s not like he could complain. 

Oikawa felt a small sense of victory at that.

We’re going to support you, and you don’t even get to complain about it.

* * *

Kageyama was unconscious most of the time, completely unaware of the world around him. During the rare times when he was lucid, he would dream a lot. His most common dream was just a replay of the road trip. From picking up Hinata from his dorm all the way until they fell down the cliff. Sometimes he just dreamt of Hinata in general, volleyball games they played together, evenings trying to do homework together, but ending up with little to no work done. It was nice, remembering all the good times. Just being with Hinata after so long, talking with him like he used to was nice. Even if it wasn’t really real. It felt almost real though to Kageyama like nothing had changed and everything was back to the way it was supposed to be.

However, every once in a while during these dreams there would be voices that dragged him back to a sense of reality. Voices not made by him or Hinata, or anyone in his various dreams. The came from somewhere... else. He could never make them out, they were barely above a whisper, but it still confused him. He didn’t know where they were coming from, but they made him feel anxious like he wasn’t supposed to be here, that he needed to do something.

Eventually, Kageyama started to feel things too. Soft sheets and sometimes hands on his arms and back. It was all very disorienting. He heard the slow clicks of a strange machine every once in a while. Pressure on his back. All still slightly muffled and dull, not completely there yet for him.

Then one day, he was finally thrown back into reality completely. Nothing was muted anymore, it all felt clear as day. His body sunk into a soft object, and his throat hurt terribly. He tried clenching his fist, but the most he could do was twitch his fingers. He tried his eyes next, straining to lift the heavy lids covering his iris. It took some effort, but they eventually opened, and they were met with bright white lights and a grey roof. It wasn’t a pleasant sight, but it felt real. Kageyama forgot how much he needed that, something tangible he could process, something not blurry and ethereal.

There was a surprised gasp from the other side of the room.

“Daichi! Daichi!” Oikawa shook Daichi’s shoulders. “He’s fucking awake! Holy shit his eyes are open!”

Daichi sprung up from his seat immediately, pressing the nurse call button as fast as he could. Kageyama started to cough, not realizing that there was a massive clear tube shoved down his throat attached to a ventilator. Two nurses burst into the room. 

“You’re going to have to leave for now.” One of them announced curtly, shooing them outside the room.

The two men hesitantly started to walk down the hallway in silence. A massive grin crept onto Daichi's face as the realization sunk in. Tears leaked out of Oikawa’s eyes as he hugged Daichi with all of his might, eliciting a small chuckle from him. He was finally awake. After all this time, Kageyama was finally awake.

The secretary suggested that they come back the next day. Kageyama would have to be taken off the ventilator and evaluated, all of which they couldn’t be there for. Oikawa pulled out his phone and texted Iwaizumi.

**Shittykawa: He’s awake! Iwa-chan he’s awake!**

He put his phone back in his pocket and ran to catch up with Daichi at the elevators. One of them dinged and the doors slowly opened. They stepped inside and pressed the button for the main floor. Daichi cleared his throat.

“So, how the hell are we going to tell him?” Daichi asked, putting his head in his hands.

Oh. Oikawa had forgotten about that in the heat of the moment. Someone needed to tell him.

* * *

Kageyama woke up again, but this time there wasn't a tube shoved down his throat and a machine controlling his breathing. Last time he woke up, he was able to see the evening light pouring through the window, oranges and soft yellows. Now the light from his window was bright with sunshine, harsh, but still better than those damned overhead lights.

He lifted his head up, taking a better look around. It was a standard hospital room, with nondescript walls with a few marks and dents along the surface. There was a chair in the corner, currently occupied by a sleeping young man of rather short stature. He had bright orange hair and-

It was Hinata.

Kageyama’s eyes widened and he smiled so hard the muscles in his face ached and burned.

He waited for me. Hinata waited for me. For all this time.

Tears poured out of his eyes, getting his robe wet. He didn’t care. It was so good to see him. So unbelievably good. Kageyama didn’t feel the need to wake him. If he was sleeping in broad daylight like this, he probably needed the rest.

There was a knock at the door, and it clicked open before Kageyama had a chance to register the sound. Suga ran into the room, sliding along the floor until he reached the end of Kageyama’s bed. His eyes were sparkling with excitement and adrenaline. Daichi followed closely behind, along with Asahi, Iwaizumi, and lastly Oikawa. He strolled past the others, taking his place at the side of Kageyama’s bed.

“Long time no see, Tobio-chan.” Oikawa smiled down at Kageyama, hands stuffed in his pockets.

“Yeah.” Kageyama choked out, voice croaky from disuse and emotion. “Long time no see.”

Everyone except Iwaizumi flung themselves at Kageyama, laughing and crying. Excited chatter filled the room as they all talked at once, telling Kageyama how much they missed him. Well, except for Oikawa, who just flung half-hearted insults, and Asahi who was crying too hard to say anything.

More than anything, Kageyama was surprised that all this commotion hadn't woken Hinata up. He was still slouching in the chair, his head tilted back and snoring lightly. 

Kageyama felt his chest start to collapse from Asahi’s weight and he gave Iwaizumi a pleading look. Iwaizumi smiled and nodded, stepping towards the massive group hug.

“Okay, you guys are going to have to get off of Kageyama before his lungs collapse. Again.” Iwaizumi grabbed the four of them and pried them off of Kageyama one by one.

“You always spoil my fun Iwa-chan. I just wanted to finish what mother nature started and crush him to death, is that too much to ask?” Oikawa said and put on his pouting face.

“Wait my lungs collapsed before?”

“Don’t worry about it. How do you feel Kageyama?” Suga handed Kageyama a glass of water.

“Groggy? Not great overall.” He took the glass of water and sipped from it.

“How about Hinata? He must be pretty tired.” Kageyama questioned, placing the water down on his side table. When he looked back up, he noticed that the air had changed quite dramatically. Asahi had his face in his hands, and Oikawa was looking out the window. Iwaizumi stared down at his shoes, face contorted into something halfway between a flinch and a cringe.

“Kageyama…” Daichi began, his voice uncertain and wavering. “Hinata passed away on the night of the crash. He died in the ambulance on his way to the hospital.”

_What?_

_Wait what?_

“What kind of joke is this? Whatever it is, it isn’t funny.” Kageyama sighed out.

There was a clear moment of hesitation between all of the others in the room. Asahi seemed to tense up, and Daichi’s face dropped.

“It’s not a joke Kageyama. He’s gone. I’m sorry.” Iwaizumi continued to stare at the ground, not having the strength to look Kageyama in the eye.

“Well, if he’s _so_ dead, then how is he sleeping on that chair over there?” Kageyama lifted a finger and pointed towards the empty chair on the other side of the room. They all looked towards the chair, and then back to Kageyama.

“I c-can’t do this.” Asahi stammered out before standing up shakily and exiting the room.

The rest of the group just looked at Kageyama, bewildered and a bit shaken.

“Kageyama. That isn’t possible. Hinata died three months ago. That just isn’t possible.” Suga’s face seemed to droop as if it carried the physical weight of the words he was saying.

“I-I don’t understand.

I don’t get it.

He can’t be gone.

I can see him.

Right there.

Sitting in that chair.

I can hear him breathing.

I’m not crazy.

I’m not crazy.

You guys can see him too right?

Right?”

Nobody said anything.

* * *


	2. I'm still here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama is awake and everyone plays the blame game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, chapter two. The next chapter should be out a little quicker. Happy New Years everyone!!

Daichi lit a cigarette and put it between his lips. He took a long drag, feeling the smoke wreak havoc in his lungs. He leaned against his car and closed his eyes, taking a moment to relax after the utter chaos that had just occurred a few hours earlier.

Small droplets of rain landed on Daichi’s face, making him shiver and hug his arms a little closer to his body. As his cigarette slowly burned away, the rain began to come down with increasing intensity and the smell of wet pavement overpowered him. At least the hint of hospital smell that still clung to his jacket was finally fading away. 

Naturally, Daichi’s thoughts wandered to Kageyama and what had happened in the hospital room a few hours earlier. Daichi didn’t consider himself to be a worrywart to any extent, he always was able to calm himself and others down in intense situations. He never saw any use in obsessively worrying about something. However, what Kageyama had said was… troubling to say the least. 

Daichi had pictured many different ways of how Kageyama would respond to Hinata’s death. He had run many different scenarios and simulations in his head, all of which had turned out to be useless in place of what actually happened. Kageyama’s response was entirely unexpected for him and everyone there with him. Daichi _supposed_ that Kageyama’s reaction made sense considering how much trauma he had been through. Hallucinations were probably common for recently comatose people. 

Even so, it _crushed_ him.

Kageyama had unintentionally torn apart the fragile and fresh stitches in his heart. Stitches that had taken months to sew, with careful coaxing from Sugawara and his friends. Stitches that had still only _barely_ held his sanity together.

He took another long drag of his cigarette, opening his eyes and peering up at the grey clouds. The sound of the nearby traffic was muffled beneath the now heavy rainfall and Daichi could feel himself getting soaked down to the bones. He stamped out his cigarette and looked forward, noticing a certain grey-haired man standing in front of him with a soft smile on his face.

“You’re going to catch a cold if you don’t get out of this rain. Come on, get in the car.” Suga said, walking to the passenger’s side door, opening it and throwing his bag in.

Daichi entered the car, plopping down in the seat. He thought that his wet ass was probably going to ruin the leather, but he put the thought out of his head. There were more important things to worry about right now.

The pitter-patter of rain on his windshield set him at ease, and he relaxed into the car seat. Suga took Daichi’s right hand and ran his thumb along his knuckles and fingers. Daichi smiled appreciatively and looked Suga in the eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Suga interrupted him before he could get a word out.

“Before you say anything, I want you to know that none of this was your fault. We had no idea Kageyama would react that way. Everyone is going to be okay. _I_ am going to be okay.” 

“I know, Suga. I just… didn’t want them to see that. I didn’t want _you_ to see that.”

“I get it Daichi. I do. But everything’s going to be fine. And I want you to be okay too, so don’t blame yourself. I know it hurts, but we’ll all be fine.”

“I know, Suga.”

There was a moment of silence where Suga squeezed Daichi’s hand in reassurance. When Daichi squeezed back, Suga relaxed, sitting back in the car seat.

“Where’s Asahi?” Suga asked. 

“He went home. He probably will need a little time to recover after Kageyama’s breakdown.” Daichi answered, taking out another cigarette from his pocket. “You know how he is. He can’t stand that sort of stuff.”

“Hey, no smoking in the car. Actually, why are you smoking at all? You already had a cigarette outside.”

“Yeah. I did.” Daichi lit the cigarette anyway and cracked open his window. “How are Oikawa and Iwaizumi doing?”

“They’re managing. Iwaizumi took it pretty hard, Oikawa’s doing his best to get him going again. He’s blaming himself, naturally. All you guys are the same, trying to take responsibility for shit that’s not in your realm of control.” Suga gestured towards the box of cigarettes in Daichi’s pocket.

“Didn’t you scold me literally five seconds ago for smoking?” Daichi handed him a cigarette and lit it. 

“I guess I’m a hypocrite now.” Suga shrugged and inhaled. He coughed on the harsh smoke. “Real smooth. Got a nice flavour.”

Daichi chuckled. “Yeah, they’re not the best.”

Suga took another breath in and had a coughing fit; chest spasming in protest. “Jesus Daichi, what the hell is in these?”

“No idea. They were on sale.”

“You have got to start taking better care of yourself.”

Daichi just ignored him and took another long puff. He’d heard that a million times in the past few weeks.

“So what’s in the bag?” Daichi asked.

“Oh, just some stuff for Kageyama. Clothes, snacks. That kind of stuff.”

For some reason, Daichi wasn’t fully convinced, but it wasn’t really his business to ask any further. He looked to Suga and noticed a particularly grim expression on his face.

“What's wrong?” Daichi asked.

“You know, I feel like we should be happy right now. Kageyama woke up after all. He’s alive, and with no brain damage. It’s a miracle really, it’s almost like it never happened.” Suga paused for a moment. “But you just can’t right? You can’t be happy. Because you could tell that something changed in Kageyama when he woke up. He was completely broken. You could just tell.”

Daichi nodded and gripped Suga’s hand a little tighter.

“Please don’t cry Suga. Don’t cry. It’ll be okay.”

Suga laughed a bit at that.

“As if I can cry anymore. It’s fine Daichi. I’m not going to cry.” Suga let go of Daichi’s hand and stretched his arms. “Now would you please turn your engine on? I’m still soaked.”

Daichi started the car, and the engine reluctantly sputtered to life. He turned on the heated seats and blasted the air conditioning. Suga smiled appreciatively and closed his eyes.

Daichi knew he wasn’t what he used to be. _Captain_ Daichi died with Hinata. Now he was just… Daichi. He and Kageyama were in similar situations. They’d both lost a part of themselves and are living with the shell of what’s left. 

Suga however, had managed to keep himself stable. He cried of course, but he didn’t have the same sort of hopelessness in his eyes as Daichi had. Because of this, Daichi decided he would be leaving it up to Suga to pick up the rest of his friends off the ground and set them on the right path. He felt sort of bad for this, it’s a lot of responsibility to put on someone, but Daichi didn’t have it in him anymore. He was just so tired. Suga was much stronger than him anyway, and he knew that he could take the pressure. Maybe even thrive in it.

Not to mention, Suga had no influence on the crash at all, but Daichi was a direct contributor. Suga didn’t have to deal with the guilt on top of everything else.

If he hadn’t lent that old, shitty sedan to Kageyama, Hinata would still be alive. 

If he had properly checked the brakes on the sedan like he fucking should have, Hinata would still be alive.

If he had just stopped to think for five seconds, he would have realized that the car was not suitable to be on the road, and _Hinata would still be alive._

Suga told him not to blame himself time and time again, but how couldn’t he? The crash, their breakup. Everything.

Everything was his fault.

* * *

Kageyama stared at the cold noodle soup on the tray beside his bed. Did they really expect him to be hungry? The nurse insisted that he eat it though, and the last thing he wanted was for another person to be disappointed with him today. 

More importantly, Hinata was still napping on the chair. Kageyama still had no idea what was going on. Was he just crazy, or was he being haunted by Hinata’s ghost or something? It wasn’t like Hinata had an ethereal glow around him or anything, and he wasn’t transparent. Kageyama could even hear his soft breathing. 

He looked as real as he did the day he died, still wearing his black Karasuno jacket and sweatpants. 

When Kageyama had had his little breakdown yesterday, the others simply left the room. They probably thought Kageyama had lost it. It hurt, but it’s not like Kageyama was surprised. In fact, if he were in their position, he would have left the room too.

In short, Kageyama didn’t know how to feel about all this. He felt bad for scaring his friends like that, but he felt hurt that they didn’t even stay to help him through his panic attack. They just ran away. On the other hand, he still had Hinata to deal with. He was too afraid to try and wake him up... if he could be woken up at all. But there was still a lingering sense of hope in him that what he was seeing wasn’t an illusion at all and Hinata was still alive, despite what Suga and Iwaizumi had said.

Rain started pouring outside, and Kageyama picked up his noodle soup and placed it on his lap. Reaching for the spoon, he knocked over his cup of water with his elbow. It fell to the ground with a loud clunk. Cringing from the surprisingly loud sound and cursing under his breath, Kageyama reached to pick up the cup.

Suddenly, from the other side of the room, he heard a loud snort and a groan of displeasure. Looking up, he saw Hinata rubbing his eyes and stretching out his legs. He looked like he was just waking up from a long nap.

Kageyama froze. Did the noise from dropping the cup just wake him up?

_Holy fuck. It totally did._

Kageyama watched as Hinata let out a loud yawn and looked around the room, his brown eyes finally settling on Kageyama’s. They were just as he remembered on the night of the crash - wide and beautiful, like two bright marbles.

“Hey. What happened Kageyama?” Hinata asked. His voice was croaky but calm as if he’d just had a great nap or something.

Kageyama just stared. Mouth agape and body locked in place. So many thoughts were flying by that he didn’t have enough time to properly process any of them. Should he be scared? Happy? Sad maybe?

Kageyama was still half-hanging off the bed from when he went to pick up his cup, so he slowly sat back up on the bed, still maintaining eye contact with Hinata. The only sound was the rain tapping on the glass window of Kageyama’s room.

“Kageyama? Hello?” Hinata said and waved his hand a couple of times to snap Kageyama out of his trance.

That seemed to work, and Kageyama’s brain kicked in. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He breathed in to say something and let out a high pitched squeak. He cringed but took another breath to try to speak again.

“We’re in the hospital. Can’t you see that?” Kageyama tried to keep his voice from shaking.

_You idiot, this isn’t the time to be a smart-ass._

“Oh. Wait, why are we in a hospital? Why are you in a hospital bed? Did you get hurt? Why can’t I remember anything?” 

“It’s okay. We’re both… fine. You probably have amnesia or something.”

Kageyama heard a quick knock and the door to his room opening.

_What’s the point of knocking if you aren’t even going to wait for a response?_

His eyes were pulled away from Hinata to a stout woman with a white lab coat, who strode into the room with a clipboard and pen clutched in her hands. She walked right past Hinata, not even sparing him a glance. She stood at Kageyama’s side and kneeled down so she was eye-level with him.

“Kageyama Tobio?” the woman, presumably a nurse, asked.

“Y-Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m just here to ask you a few questions. I know it’s been a long day, but I need to know a few things so I can ensure I give you the right treatments. It’s all covered by your insurance provider, so no need to worry.”

As the nurse asked Kageyama question after question, Hinata stayed surprisingly quiet. He was probably still taking in his environment. 

Then, the strangest thing happened. The nurse walked over to the chair Hinata was sitting in and sat on top of him. On top was probably the wrong description, because the nurse was literally phasing through him. It was like Hinata wasn’t even there. 

Hinata jumped up in surprise and ran to the other side of the room, breathing heavily. The nurse just continued writing on the clipboard. 

“Kageyama, w-what the hell was that?” Hinata asked, eyes blown wide.

Kageyama ignored him, continuing to focus on the nurse. He could only divide his attention to so many things at once. Hinata slowly approached the nurse again and tried touching her. His finger just disappeared into her arm, and he retracted it quickly. He tried snapping in front of her face, and there was still no reaction. He even tried clapping beside her ear. Nothing. The nurse didn’t even blink.

When the nurse was done filling all her forms and asking questions, she muttered a quick thank you to Kageyama before exiting the room. 

“Okay what the actual fuck is going on?” Hinata asked once the door closed, and turned towards Kageyama. 

“I have no clue. When I woke up from my coma you were just sleeping on that chair.”

“Coma?! If you were in a coma, then what the hell happened to me?”

“I don’t know Hinata. You might just be an image my fucked up mind made to help me cope or some shit.”

Kageyama instantly regretted what he said, but to his surprise, Hinata didn’t seem offended by it at all. Hell, he seemed to _consider_ it. How someone could easily accept the possibility of their own non-existence was a mystery to Kageyama.

“I don’t think so. I feel pretty real, but I guess that’s what anyone in this position would say.” Hinata shrugged and grabbed onto the privacy curtains at the side of Kageyama’s bed. “And look, I can move these curtains without a problem.” Hinata ruffled the curtains, making them sway back and forth. 

“So you can touch objects, but not people?”

“I guess,” Hinata shrugged once again, and reached out to touch Kageyama.

To both of their surprise, his finger didn’t phase through. It made contact with the skin on Kageyama’s cheek. Hinata pulled his hand back in surprise.

“Alright, guess I’m wrong, you can touch people,” Kageyama muttered.

“Wait, why can I touch you? You felt that right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, we need to start from the beginning Kageyama. How did I get like this? Why were you in a coma?”

“Well… we may have gotten in a car crash. Do you uh, remember the road trip?” Kageyama coughed and shifted uncomfortably.

“Oh.” Hinata’s face contorted and he sat down on the edge of the bed. “I think I remember. There was a truck, right? A big one, with logs and stuff?”

“Yeah. We fell off the edge of the road. Into a valley, I think. That’s all I remember.”

Awkward silence reared its ugly head once again. Kageyama kept his head down, staring at his blank bed sheets as he spoke.

“It was my fault.”

“Don’t start Kageyama. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.” Hinata jumped up off the bed. “We just have to deal with what we have right now. No use in worrying about what’s already happened.” 

Hinata inspected his body, looking for anything out of the ordinary. “So I guess I’m actually dead, huh?”

Despite Kageyama’s efforts, his eyes filled with tears, and he sobbed into his hands.

“Hey, Kageyama, it’s okay. It’s alright. I’m dead, but I’m not gone. I’m here.” Hinata pulled Kageyama’s hands away from his eyes and put them to his cheeks. “You can feel my hands right?”

Kageyama nodded. They were warm and soft against his skin.

“I’m not upset either see? I’m perfectly content. There was nothing for me in the living world anyway. It’s like a new start.”

That just made Kageyama cry harder. Hinata cringed, realizing his mistake. He sat on the edge of Kageyama’s bed and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that,” Hinata said and held him even tighter. “I’m still here okay? I’m still here. Please don’t cry.”

* * *

Daichi’s phone buzzed to life, making him jump out of his skin. He didn’t want to wake Suga, who was fast asleep in the passenger seat, so he quickly stepped out of his car and walked a few paces away from it. The rain had finally stopped, but the parking lot was littered with puddles. One of which he stepped in, soaking his pant leg. He finally answered the call and tried to make his tone sound polite.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Daichi. We’re at the front of the hospital. Would you mind taking us to Kageyama’s room? The guys at the front desk won’t tell us his room number. Only family are allowed right now or something.” Nishinoya’s abrasive voice came through the receiver. He always sounded like he was yelling.

“It’s 415B.”

“That’s great and all, but we have no idea how to get there.”

“We? Noya, who else is with you?”

“Asahi, Ryu, Ennoshita, uhh… basically everyone from our old Karasuno team.”

Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I think we should just let Kageyama rest for today. The whole team showing up will probably be a little overwhelming for him.”

“Just get over here Daichi.”

“No, I’m serious Noy-” Daichi was interrupted by a click.

_He just hung up on me._

Daichi stuffed his phone back in his pocket and started a brisk walk towards the entrance of the hospital. He felt bad for leaving Suga, but he’d rather not wake him up. He looked really peaceful there. 

When Daichi entered the lobby of the hospital, he was met with the entire Karasuno team. They were all clumped together, quietly murmuring to each other. Noya caught sight of Daichi and strode towards him.

“I knew you’d come around, Daichi.”

“Yeah, whatever. Just follow me. You only get five minutes, okay?”

The team smiled appreciatively at Daichi and followed him to the elevators. They remained fairly quiet, only snickering quietly when Yamaguchi tripped over a wet floor sign. Immature as always. Daichi slowed down so that he was walking beside Noya.

“Noya, why is Asahi here?” Daichi asked.

“Because I made him come,” Noya replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, obviously, but you should have probably let him stay home for this one. He’s taken all this a lot worse than anyone else. Plus, he was already here when Kageyama woke up.”

“That’s exactly why I brought him Daichi. The more he is exposed to this sort of stuff, the better. He can’t just keep running away to deal with shit.”

When they arrived, Daichi heard someone talking on the other side of Kageyama’s door, so he knocked softly before opening it. To his surprise, it was only Kageyama in the room and he didn’t look very good at all. His eyes were red and he was blankly staring at the wall ahead of him. He sniffled every few seconds, not breaking his eye contact with the wall even when Daichi took a few small steps in.

“Sorry, is this a bad time or?” Daichi asked, standing in front of the doorway so that no one else could get in.

Kageyama wiped his eyes and shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Is it just you Daichi?”

“It can be. I don’t want to force anything on you.”

“It’s alright, let everyone in.”

The boys poured in one by one, taking various places along the walls of Kageyama’s room. It was a little cramped, but they all managed to fit in. They all looked towards Daichi, waiting for him to say something. The problem was, Daichi had nothing. He didn’t have a single idea of what he could possibly say. The silence seemed to last forever until Daichi heard a voice from behind him. It was Suga, carrying his bag on his shoulder. He must have been following them.

“Hey, Kageyama,” Suga said, stepping in front of Daichi and towards Kageyama’s bed. He kneeled down so he was eye level with him and set his bag down.

“Hey.”

“How are you doing?”

“Oh, you know. Trying to get over the death of my best friend. Feeling great.”

Daichi saw Suga recoil at that but he tried his best to keep a straight face.

“It’s rather packed in here, isn’t it? I thought we all agreed to give Kageyama some space for the next few days?” Suga said and shot a death glare at Noya, who just shrugged.

“It’s fine Sugawara-san. I don’t mind,” Kageyama said.

Suga rested his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder, who flinched a bit from the contact. “You know we’re here for you right? Me, Daichi, Noya, even Tsukishima. If you ever need anything, from any of us, just ask. I’m still here. We’re all still here.”

Kageyama nodded and Suga smiled softly.

“When can you leave? Probably not for a while right?” 

“Soon. The nurses said the hospital is filling up and they need room.” 

“That’s good. You’re probably going to have to redo a lot of the classes you’ve missed over the last couple of weeks, but that won’t be for a while.” Suga removed his hand from Kageyama’s shoulder and stood back up. “In the meantime, we’ll set you up with a therapist.”

“No.”

Everyone in the room shifted awkwardly. Daichi thought this might happen. Daichi was the same at first, it took a lot of convincing to get him to see a therapist, but it really helped in the long run. However, it was probably going to take twice the amount of coaxing and persuading to get Kageyama to even humour the idea of seeing a therapist.

“Why not?” Daichi asked, trying to keep his tone as gentle as he could manage.

“Because I don’t need one. Hinata’s dead but he’s not gone. He’s sitting on that chair over there.” Kageyama pointed to the chair on the other side of the room.

Everyone looked towards the chair; finding nothing in it. If the air of the room was awkward before, now it was uncomfortable. Daichi’s stomach dropped. Kageyama was still seeing things hours after waking up. This definitely was worrying.

“Kageyama, there’s nothing there.” Suga broke the silence. Kageyama didn’t even acknowledge him, he just continued to stare at the empty chair.

“Okay everyone I think we should go now. Let’s go, everyone out.” Daichi broke the silence and walked over to the door. He opened it and gestured towards the hallway.

The group filed out; a grim expression on each of their faces. Suga however, remained standing at Kageyama’s side.

“Suga, come on. Let’s leave him alone.”

Suga ignored Daichi and pulled out a crushed volleyball and what looked like a notebook from his bag. He placed them on Kageyama’s side table and walked back out the door. Kageyama didn’t even take a glance at the items. Daichi followed Suga, closing the door softly behind him.

* * *

When Daichi finally closed the door behind him, Kageyama let out a sigh of relief. He lied back down and put his hands behind his head.

“You’re an idiot,” Hinata said, standing up from the chair and strolling over to Kageyama’s side table. “Why did you tell them you could see me? They probably think you’re crazy.”

“It got them to leave, didn’t it?”

“The last thing you should be doing is pushing them away. You’re probably scaring them. What if I just disappear one day? What will you do then?”

“Don’t even say that Hinata.”

“Sorry. I just worry sometimes. We don’t even know what I am, so who knows what will happen to me. I don’t want you to be alone if I’m gone.” Hinata picked up the flattened volleyball in the table and inspected it. “I’m surprised all the signatures survived on this. Suga must have gotten it from the police or something at the crash site. I worked hard to get you this, please tell me you’re still keeping it.”

“Yeah. It’s still kinda cool.”

“Kinda? Flat or not, it’s the coolest birthday gift in the whole world.” Hinata threw it half-heartedly at Kageyama’s chest.

Kageyama caught the volleyball and smiled. It was the coolest present, he couldn’t deny it.

Kageyama noticed the notebook Suga had placed on his side desk. It was the same one Hinata was writing in before they crashed. He reached out, almost touching it, but retracted his hand when Hinata grabbed it and took a few steps backwards.

“Not yet, okay?” Hinata said, guarding the notebook to his chest. “I’ll tell you when you can read it.”

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have-” 

“Just don’t worry about it. I know you’re curious, but... I’m just not ready for you to see yet.”

“Fair enough.” Kageyama swung his legs to the side of the bed and stood up. He stumbled a bit and used the frame of his bed for support. “I gotta piss.”

“Oh. Where are you going?”

“To the bathroom obviously dumbass. Where else would I go to take a piss?”

Hinata’s face reddened a bit and he stood out of Kageyama’s path.

When Kageyama returned, Hinata was back on his chair, reading his notebook. Kageyama figured it was probably best to leave him alone for a little bit. He grabbed the controller on his side table and switched on the T.V. in the top right corner of his room. He might as well see what news he has missed these past few weeks. 

Turns out, he didn’t miss much at all. It’s amazing how so much happens in the world, yet so little at the same time. Hinata just continued reading his notebook. Kageyama didn’t understand how that could be interesting in any way since it was all his own writing but to each his own.

The next few days passed at a painfully slow pace, with sporadic visits from the nurses and his friends sprinkled in. Kageyama would always turn down the offer to see a therapist when Suga or Noya suggested it to him. Interestingly, Iwaizumi and Oikawa never visited him. When he asked Suga why he said Daichi asked them to give him some space. Kageyama was really relieved by this. He could barely stomach the visits by his old Karasuno teammates alone. They all looked at him like he had lost his mind, that he was broken or something. 

Kageyama wasn’t broken. Not at all. He was fine.

Maybe Hinata was right; he shouldn’t have told them he could still see him. It just backfired and he ended up with more checkups from his friends.

Hinata and Kageyama would make small talk every once in a while but remained mostly silent. Hinata didn’t have anywhere else to go, and he wasn’t even sure if he could go somewhere Kageyama wasn’t. So he stayed in the room and occupied himself with reading his notebook. It’s surprising how quickly you run out of conversation topics when you spend all day with someone, especially when there’s a lot of conversation topics you’re avoiding. 

Overall, it felt a bit tense.

As time passed, Kageyama grew increasingly bored with the game shows and reruns of old anime, and he found himself watching Hinata instead of the TV. Hinata had stopped reading his notebook and moved to newspapers and the manga Suga brought every once in a while. It was awkward whenever Hinata caught him staring, but he just couldn’t bring himself to look away. Kageyama was inexplicably fascinated by him in a way he had never been before.

The day Kageyama could finally return home was slowly approaching, and he couldn’t wait to get out of that stuffy hospital room. The only thing keeping him sane at that point was the vending machine down the hall, which sold his favourite milk cartons. He had almost bought out the whole vending machine at this point.

Kageyama tried giving Hinata some milk, but he found himself unable to drink it. He wasn’t able to create the necessary air pressure to suck the milk through the straw. When he tried drinking it out of a cup, he could hold the cup fine, but the milk just ended up phasing through his mouth, much to his dismay. They didn’t even bother trying to feed him anything since the results would most likely be the same. Luckily, it appeared he didn’t even need to eat or drink since it had been several days since he woke up and Hinata hadn’t felt hungry or thirsty at all. As a result, he never needed to use the bathroom either. 

Finally, it was his last day and Kageyama woke up to yet another cloudy morning. What a disappointment. He had hoped that it would be sunny on his last day. He began to pack his belongings into a small bag that the hospital provided to him earlier. 

Hinata was still fast asleep in his chair. Kageyama had asked the staff for a more comfortable chair since he knew Hinata was probably uncomfortable in it, but they said that that was the best they had. The bed couldn’t have fit both of them either, not that Kageyama would have just invited Hinata into his bed. 

As he stuffed the flattened volleyball in his bag, he heard a shrill ring coming from his room phone. He reluctantly answered it, finding it odd that someone would call him on his last day.

“Who is this?”

“Ah, Tobio. I heard you got in a little accident?” The voice of Kageyama’s mother struck his ears.

_Oh. Of course, she would call. Why wouldn’t she?_

Kageyama almost burst into tears but managed to hold it back by biting his lip. This was the last thing he wanted.

“Hello, mother. Yes, you are correct.”

“Well, that’s no good. No good at all. We’ll be coming to see you shortly, dear. In the meantime, why don’t you fill me in on what happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This probably answered none of your questions and just created more, but I hope it was still enjoyable.
> 
> Answers are coming... eventually. I promise.


End file.
